


Gravity of Falling

by phoenixreal



Category: Bleach
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anal Sex, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Comfort Sex, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Flashbacks, Gay Sex, M/M, Psychological Trauma, Rape, Rape Recovery, Recovery, Torture
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-06
Updated: 2021-01-12
Packaged: 2021-03-17 06:34:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,919
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28595553
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phoenixreal/pseuds/phoenixreal
Summary: Canon Divergence. Ichigo goes to Hueco Mundo after Rukia when she disappears without a trace. What he finds, though, is something out of his worst nightmares. A journey of torment and pain that turns to recovery and love in the end.
Relationships: Grimmjow Jaegerjaques/Kurosaki Ichigo
Comments: 28
Kudos: 46





	1. The Trap

**Author's Note:**

> This is labeled as Dead Dove: Do Not Eat for a reason. This is a lot of torture descriptions and a lot of really awful stuff, but recovery is the aim of the fic.

* * *

Ichigo Kurosaki had returned to a mostly normal life this time. He was going to school online to get his basics down for a medical degree, and the events over the last few years of his life sometimes felt like a dream. He imagined being normal, but he knew that he would never truly be normal. He tried having a normal relationship with Orihime. It didn’t work out, and it was entirely his fault. He just couldn’t give her what she wanted, and after a strange twist of events, she ended up getting together with Tatsuki. He wished them well, though a part of him was bitter that he couldn’t even keep a relationship going.

It had been two years ago when he got his powers back. The sting of what had happened was still fresh in his mind. He couldn’t put it aside entirely because he felt they had betrayed his trust. After everything that happened, they hadn’t put any faith in him, and that hurt him a great deal more than he ever thought it would. Still, he cared about the people from Soul Society, and when Rukia and Renji came around, he was glad.

So, now, as he stood in front of Urahara he knew he had to do something.

“What happened? What do you mean, she’s missing?” Ichigo asked, frowning at him deeply.

“Rukia was on a reconnaissance mission to Hueco Mundo, scouting the remains of Las Noches. They last contact two days ago, and they haven’t been able to locate her since,” Urahara told him.

As calm as Urahara normally was, even his façade of being coy had faded with this information. It was obvious that he was extremely worried about Rukia being gone.

“Send me there,” he said. “I’ll leave Kon with my body and go look for her myself.”

“That would be far from prudent, Ichigo-kun. I mean, I understand your desire to find her, but Soul Society plans—”

“I’m not counting on Soul Society. I’ll be back. Get things ready,” he said, turning and leaving Urahara without another word.

When he returned, Urahara had prepared the portal to Hueco Mundo for him.

“Are you sure about this? We could at least wait for Renji or Uryū? I’ve contacted both to see if they would meet with you.” Urahara looked like he thought this would be the best option.

“They can catch up,” Ichigo said, and a few moments later, he was on the sands of Hueco Mundo.

Ichigo wasn’t sure where to look. He stopped and concentrated to see if he could manage to pick up her reiatsu.

_King… Something’s not right._

Ichigo ignored the voice. He didn’t have time for something like the hollow right then. He trudged through the wastes looking for any sign of Rukia. She couldn’t have just disappeared without a trace. She was a Shinigami, after all. She could protect herself. He knew that she was more than capable of taking care of most Arrancar or at the very least get herself away from danger. The fact that she had not been heard from in two whole days worried him greatly.

It took a while, but Ichigo eventually got a sense of her reiatsu. It was rare for him, he knew, to follow spirit ribbons but occasionally he could do it if he concentrated. And this time, since his power came back, he seemed more in control of his senses. He found his way to an overhang. The sense was leading him to the top of it, so he made his way around to make his way up the hill to the top of it. Ahead, he saw something on the ground.

“Rukia!” he yelled and ran forward, dropping down beside her crumpled form.

She was deeply unconscious but looked otherwise fine. He could find no wounds on her, and other than her reiatsu being incredibly faint, he couldn’t detect anything. Then, it was like someone was suddenly draining the life out of him. He got dizzy and turned around, seeing a figure behind him. He dropped Rukia back to the ground and tried to get to his feet but found that it was impossible. It was as though his whole being was being drawn out, then the world faded to black.

-oooooo-OOOOOO-oooooo-

_Subjects acquired with some difficulty. It took a much greater expenditure of energy than expected to capture both. Subjects are now enclosed in the facility together under observation._

Ichigo felt consciousness returning thickly, his head buzzing and still feeling incredibly weak. He sighed and rolled over, wondering why he was awake if he felt like this.

“Are ya awake yet?” he heard, and his eyes flew open because he knew that voice.

He turned his head and found himself staring at Grimmjow who was sitting on the floor next to him. “Grimmjow?” he said, pushing himself to a sitting position.

“Yah, was beginnin’ to wonder if ya were alive,” he said.

Grimmjow was wearing a black shirt that covered his hollow hole with the white jacket he had before. He was still wearing the white hakama from before, but he was barefoot. Ichigo looked around the room they were in to realize that it was some sort of cell. There was a clear door that led outside, and it was otherwise an empty white room. He was also without his tabi and sandals, but he had the rest of his shihakuso on.

“Where are we?” Ichigo said, turning back to Grimmjow. “I was looking for Rukia, and I found her, then there was this guy and it felt like he was drawing all my strength out of me.”

“That’s what happened to me. I was fighting some hollows that were moving in on Las Noches, and suddenly I got weak and couldn’t stay standing. Before I blacked out, I saw some guy,” Grimmjow shrugged.

Ichigo pushed himself to his feet and went to the doorway. He pushed on it experimentally and found it locked. It was then he realized his sword was gone.

“Zangetsu!” he said, seeing both his weapon and Grimmjow’s on a table in the next room.

“Yeah, I’ve been here a week, and I haven’t seen any way to get out. Whatever this guy does, keeps me weakened so I can’t even break that weak ass door,” Grimmjow grumbled.

Ichigo didn’t doubt it because he felt significantly weakened. He banged on the door and yelled for a few minutes before he gave up. He wanted to know who had him and Grimmjow captive, but he also wanted to know what happened to Rukia. Was she here too?

Suddenly, light flooded the room next to them. Grimmjow got up and came over, looking out over Ichigo’s shoulder as lights came on in the cell as well, bright and garish compared to the dim light before. The wall, which both Ichigo and Grimmjow had assumed was solid stone, turned clear and they could see fully the room on the other side.

It looked like a mix between a lab and a medical facility. There was an exam table, some upright board of some sort, cabinets lining the walls, and tables sitting out. The room itself was relatively big, and there was room enough for several tables in addition to the exam table in the middle. Then, a door on the other side opened and a man came through the door. He was tall and thin, with long straight hair that was a turquoise color. His eyes were golden and bright. He walked up to the wall and stared at them. He wore what looked like a white lab coat and a pair of glasses.

“Who the hell are you supposed to be?” Grimmjow growled. 

“I’m your host for the indeterminant future. You can call me Granz.”

“Granz?” Grimmjow said, frowning. “You mean like Szayelaporro and Illfordt?”

“Astute. More than I gave you credit for, yes, they were my younger brothers. Because of you both, they are dead, leaving me without a family any longer. A terrible tragedy. However it offers me the opportunity to utilize the massive facility that Szayelaporro created to do some…research.” He smiled at them.

“Research?” Ichigo asked, looking at him.

“I’m curious about how much a Shinigami and an Arrancar can take. I’ve already taken scans and readings from both of you while you were unconscious. And I have found some interesting things already, in particular about you, Ichigo. There is another power signature in your spiritual body. Quite fascinating and one I will have to explore. But the hollow nature of your Zanpakutō is fascinating. I have been looking into Szayelaporro’s records. He had quite detailed ones of all of Aizen’s projects. You were a favorite subject of his, Ichigo. And now you will be mine, mind, body, and soul. By the time I’m through with you, you will not know your own name,” he said, smiling broadly. “And you, Grimmjow, you who sent my brother to his death, you’ll watch as I break him and I’ll see how much torment an Arrancar like you can take.”

“You bastard,” Grimmjow said, frowning. “Let us go. When we get our strength back, you’re dead meat.”

“Strength? Oh, you noted your weakness. That will not go away. My ability allows me to syphon reiatsu from someone, then I’ve built a generator that maintains that drain on you. Very similar to the effects of seki seki stone, but without the stone actually needed to be applied to the person. For that reason, you will not be able to escape,” he said, moving to the side of the clear part of the wall and punching something into some sort of panel.

“Someone will look for me. They know where I went,” Ichigo said. “I came here for Rukia, someone will come for me. Is she here too?”

“Oh, the female Shinigami? I left her on the sands. She may have regained her senses by now, I’m unsure,” he said dismissing it. “She served her purpose.”

Ichigo didn’t say anything, only glared at him. Grimmjow shook his head. “He’s right. Someone will come for him.”

“I don’t think they will. And even if they did, they’ll never find this place. It is hidden and only one of the blood Granz can get into it.”

There was a hissing sound, and Ichigo looked up to see some sort of gas being forced into the cell they were in. He was about to ask what it was when his eyes slipped closed and he thumped into the floor, followed by Grimmjow.

-oooooo-OOOOOO-oooooo-

“There’s got to be something we’re missing!” Rukia exclaimed, glaring at Renji as they stood on the sands of Hueco Mundo.

Rukia had regained consciousness several hours before and proceeded to try and find anyone. Eventually, her senses led her to find Uryū and Renji, who had come to Hueco Mundo after Ichigo. They had managed to locate each other, and Rukia told them about the Arrancar with turquoise hair that had approached her, telling her she was going to serve a greater purpose than she imagined. Since she woke up, they’d been searching for any sign of Ichigo’s reiatsu without any luck. All traces of it just disappeared at the point Rukia had woke up on the outcropping.

“But what? It’ll take days to search Las Noches alone!” Renji said. “We have to get help from Soul Society!”

Uryū nodded. “Rukia, we can’t do this alone. Let’s go back and see if we can’t get a search team together. We won’t just leave him out here.”

“But who was that Arrancar?” she asked. “He wanted Ichigo.”

“A lot of Arrancar died here when we fought Aizen’s people,” Renji said, sighing and crossing his arms. “It could be anyone.”

“But how could someone so easily take out a Shinigami like this? I’ve seen powers, but never something like that,” Rukia mused, not really asking them the question.

“I don’t know, but we have to have help.” Renji looked at her. “Let’s report to the Sou-Taichou and see if we can’t find him in a timely fashion. The bastard is here somewhere, and we should be able to locate him given enough time.”

“But how much time do we have?” Rukia wondered.

-oooooo-OOOOOO-oooooo-

_Subjects are set for the first rounds of testing. As expected, subjects were not pleased to learn of their situation, but that doesn’t matter. Testing will commence once I have pleasured myself with their pain._

This time, Ichigo woke with a pounding headache. He groaned and blinked, seeing he wasn’t in the cell. He tried to move but found his hands were bound to each other, and that was bound to a ring in the wall. He looked around, seeing he was on the floor of the room next to the cell. He could see Grimmjow bound into a standing position in what looked like an upright table. It was then he realized both of them were now completely naked.

“Grimmjow!” he hissed.

Grimmjow groaned lifting his head and looking at him. “Ichigo?” he mumbled thickly.

“Can you get loose? I can’t,” he said, struggling against the bindings on his hands. He was still weakened, he could tell.

“Good, you’re awake,” they both heard and looked to see Granz coming over to them.

“The fuck is going on?” Grimmjow growled at him. “What do you intend to do?”

“What, you ask? Well, first, I plan to have a little fun for myself with Ichigo, and you can watch. Then I have a couple hours’ worth of torment I plan to inflict on you both.” He came toward where Ichigo was on the floor.

“Get away!” Ichigo tried, kicking him when he got near.

“Now, now, don’t be so violent, Ichigo. I’ll just have to hurt you more than I planned to initially,” Granz said, catching Ichigo’s foot and twisting the ankle sharply until it snapped.

Ichigo yelled out in pain, amazed at how strong this Arrancar was. Grimmjow growled from his position and Ichigo could hear him struggling against the straps that held him in place. Granz, though only moved forward, dropping to his knees and pushing in between Ichigo’s legs and gasped him tightly around his balls. Ichigo stilled, staring with wide eyes at him because it was enough to hurt some, but it was obvious he could squeeze harder.

“I found it interesting the weak points on beings are usually around the genital region. It seems the sex organs are always vulnerable points. I find that utterly fascinating because they’re such exposed targets, really.” He squeezed enough to make Ichigo flinch. “But there is much pleasure to be had in the process of breaking down a person, and I intend to make the experience of breaking you quite pleasurable for me with everything I do.”

Ichigo shook his head as he let go and slid his hand under him, shoving two fingers into him roughly. He grit his teeth at the painful intrusion and tried to focus on the pain in his ankle.

“Such a sensitive area even though the biological processes aren’t necessary for spiritual beings. Still, these things function as though they were made like this, enough to be used in such a fashion and to make such pleasant effects for us. You should know, your father was able to procreate despite being a Shinigami, able to impregnate a human female.”

He twisted his fingers in him and then removed them, causing temporary relief. Ichigo panted, looking over at Grimmjow who was just staring as though he couldn’t believe what was happening.

“Stop! What good is this? Why would you want to do something like this?” Grimmjow asked.

Granz turned to him as he pulled himself out of his pants. “Because I can.”

Ichigo tried to push away from him, but he was so weak it didn’t matter. He just grabbed him by the hips and pulled him back down, impaling him roughly without pause. Ichigo gasped and choked, unable to breathe properly through the pain. He’d never imagined this hurting so much, even in his imaginings over the last couple years since he and Orihime broke up. He’d thought of other men, it was true, but he just assumed he was supposed to be “normal” and date a woman. Then, when Orihime and Tatsuki got together, it opened up the idea that he wasn’t restricted to just women. But even in self exploration, nothing ever hurt like this. Pain shot from his groin down to the arches of his feet and his ankle exploded in pain along with it.

“Such a pleasurable thing, even when it’s forced,” Granz said, pulling back and slamming forward again. “The blood is a natural lubricant, how fascinating.”

Ichigo didn’t care for his monologue, he just wanted it to be over. Tears were falling from the pain and he couldn’t stop them. However, he seemed intent on making it last as long as possible because he only slowly thrust into him. Ichigo panted, unable to get a breath that mattered as he continued for what felt like forever until he finally started to speed up, thrusting faster into him, holding him down at the shoulders and slamming into him again and again. Finally, he stiffened, letting out a satisfied groan as he released into him.

He pulled out, taking a moment to wipe himself with a cloth. Ichigo panted and turned to the wall, incredibly embarrassed at the same time as he was mortified at what just happened. Then the chain connecting him to the wall was yanked and he was pulled from the floor to his feet painfully. He stumbled after Granz who pushed him onto the exam table and clamped his feet into it, then pulled a clamp that went around his neck. He then unclipped his wrists from each other and put them into rings on the bed.

“You’re still bleeding,” Granz said. “Fascinating that such a small amount of force can cause damage like this. But I’m sure it will get less over time.”

Ichigo’s breath caught at that and he heard Grimmjow pulled out of the bindings that held him, but he couldn’t break them still. Granz rubbed a hand over Ichigo’s chest and then smiled.

“Now, how about some more fun? You were once able to regenerate damage. Let’s see if we can’t trigger that same ability, shall we?”

Ichigo didn’t know what that meant, but he brought out a long, thin knife and slide the blade against Ichigo’s belly, slicing it open just at the surface. Ichigo winced and glared at him. Then he began to slide the blade under the skin and Ichigo realized he was flaying the skin off of him

“Stop!” he gasped, seeing the blood begin to flow down his belly.

“No, I don’t think so, and if you aren’t quiet, I will take your voice, too,” Granz said, pausing to turn to a table behind him and pick up a syringe. “But this should initiate that natural regeneration to come to the surface if I’ve calculated things correctly, and I think I have.”

Ichigo winced as he injected him with the thick liquid serum. It immediately made him flush the hollow white color all over.

“There…an expected result.”

“Please, stop this… haven’t you done enough?” Ichigo said, nearly sobbing already.

“Oh, I have only just started. I’ll break you. I told you, you will forget your own name by the time I’m done with you. No one is looking for you. No one would find you even if they did. You are mine to do with as I wish, and I wish to see you suffer for what you’ve caused.” Granz smiled again, returning to flaying at his stomach.

“Look, Aizen caused what happened, not me!” Ichigo gasped.

“Hmm, it appears a paralytic is necessary,” Granz said, turning around and selecting a syringe filled with clear liquid. He unlocked the band around his neck and quickly injected the serum into Ichigo’s throat.

“Ack!” Ichigo said, unable to talk anymore as it felt like his throat went entirely numb.

“I’ve paralyzed your vocal cords. If this continues, I will simply remove them, so I suggest you remain quiet as I work,” Granz said.

After several hours passed, Ichigo was dropped back into the cell, blood covering his lower body and the skin of his stomach flayed off, showing the glistening fat and muscle underneath. He could only lay on his back and writhe in agony.

“Now, you,” he heard Granz say.

“Fuck you, bastard!” Grimmjow responded.

-oooooo-OOOOOO-oooooo-

Rukia stood at the massive double doors they’d uncovered last year in their search for Ichigo. It had taken them two years just to find that much and discover that they couldn’t get into the place no matter how they tried. Urahara and Kurotsuchi had worked together on a way to bypass the security features of the massive doors that had been buried beneath Las Noches. Renji stood beside her, weapon at the ready, along with Kyōraku-taichou and Ukitake-taichou. Both had volunteered for this mission, as had several other seated officers from the various divisions. Ikkaku and Yumichika had come, leaving Zaraki-taichou back in Soul Society to keep watch.

“Got it!” Urahara announced as the doors unsealed. “We’ll find out if we were right!”

The captains took the lead and Kurotsuchi and Urahara followed them, but Rukia was close behind them. She was insistent on being one of the first ones to find Ichigo because she had been used to lure him to Hueco Mundo to start with.

They made their way down a long hallway that led deeper underground. Slowly, the air grew stale, and they all felt like they were being watched. They came to another door, and again, Urahara bypassed the security and it opened into what looked like a laboratory. There were tables set with all sorts of testing materials, beakers, vials, burners, and other equipment. On the other side of the room, there was a door.

This door was not locked and opened into some sort of exam room with tables and an exam chair. On one wall, there was a darkened area with the lights off, and then the room was flooded with light.

“Who disturbs me?” came a voice from the dark area.

Immediately, both Ukitake-taichou and Kyōraku-taichou, who were in the front, both dropped to the floor, their weapons scattering away from them. Urahara stepped up, pulling Benehime and crossing blades with an Arrancar in a lab coat and bright turquoise colored hair pulled back at the base of his neck. Rukia ran forward, not thinking at all for her own safety, and plunged her sword into the Arrancar’s midsection. He looked down, shocked it seemed, and she ripped her sword to the side, gutting him effectively.

Urahara stared, stepping back as the body fell to the ground in front of them.

“Well, I didn’t expect that,” he said as Yumichika and Ikkaku and the others helped Ukitake and Kyōraku to their feet.

Now that the lights were on, they saw the dark area was a cell with a clear wall and door to it. In it, huddled in the corner of the room together, were two figures.

“Ichigo?” Rukia gasped and ran forward to stand against the glass. “And Grimmjow?”

He didn’t look up, only hid his head in Grimmjow’s chest. Both of them were naked and covered with open wounds, some weeping with infection and pus. Ichigo’s legs looked mangled, as though they’d been broken repeatedly, and Grimmjow’s left arm was missing from the elbow down. Grimmjow’s right eye was also an empty socket and he stared almost vacantly at her with his left eye fixed on her figure.

“Get it open!” she gasped.

Urahara was already working on it, quickly trying to get through the built-in locks. Finally, the door popped open with a sound like it unsealed. Rukia was through it and approaching the two of them immediately.

“Rukia-chan, I wouldn’t do that—” Urahara tried.

Grimmjow growled and swiped at her as she got near, causing her to step back, a bit shocked. Ichigo hadn’t moved, only curled in on Grimmjow further, tightening his grip on him, it seemed.

“Ichigo! It’s me, Rukia!” she said desperately trying to get his attention.

Even his name didn’t make him move toward her in the slightest. Grimmjow had fixed her with a glare that was obvious he wasn’t going to let go. She looked over as Ikkaku and Yumichika came up beside her.

“What do we do?” Yumichika said. “They’re scared of us.”

Rukia dropped to her hands and knees and crawled closer, this time locking eyes on Grimmjow. It was obvious from their positions that Grimmjow was trying to protect Ichigo from them.

“We should separate them immediately,” Kurotsuchi said from behind them.

“Don’t!” Rukia said, waving at them. “Let me try to talk to him.”

“I think they’re both too far gone to listen, Rukia-chan,” Urahara said with a deeply sad tone to his voice.

“After three years, they’re going to be damaged beyond repair,” Kurotsuchi said, waving a dismissive hand at them. “We may as well exterminate them both.”

“No!” Rukia said. “We came here to save Ichigo! We may not have known about Grimmjow, but now we have to help them both!”

Grimmjow seemed to be listening to her, hands clutching Ichigo’s body tightly. “Grimmjow, it’s Rukia. Ichigo’s friend. Do you remember me?”

He blinked and then slowly nodded. “Where?” he croaked as though unused to speaking.

“You’re in Hueco Mundo, below Las Noches,” she said softly.

He shook his head. “No, you?”

Her heart fell because she realized he was asking where she had been. She swallowed a ball in her throat along with the tears that were threatening her right then.

“I know. It took us a long time to find you, but you have to understand, we never stopped looking for him, and for the last year, we’ve been trying to get into this place,” she said.

Grimmjow still glared at her. She turned back to the others and saw that Ukitake and Kyōraku seemed to have recovered somewhat and were coming into the cell with them. She stood up and backed away. Ukitake, who was leaning on Kyōraku heavily, looked around at the situation.

“Rukia, can you cast a sleeping Kido on Grimmjow?” Ukitake said. “I think it’s the only way we’ll be able to move them out of here.”

Rukia nodded, chanting the kido and aiming at Grimmjow carefully. He seemed someone oblivious of what she was doing, but when the spell hit him, he growled, fighting it before he slumped over in sleep. Ichigo, though, gasped and fell backward as he’d been holding onto Grimmjow when he slumped down. Ichigo screeched and turned around, eyes wide and obviously frightened out of his own mind by all the people that were gathered in the small cell.

“Easy, Ichigo,” Rukia said, dropping down and crawling forward again. “It’s Rukia. Do you remember me?”

Ichigo appeared to have had all the skin on his stomach flayed off recently because the muscle was visible. Rukia realized as she looked him over, to her horror, his testicles had been removed completely, and he was trying to get to his feet unsuccessfully since they appeared mangled beyond repair. She felt tears now and knew that what had happened to him had to have been horrid at the hands of that Arrancar.

“Please, Ichigo, recognize me?” she begged, but Ichigo just grabbed Grimmjow’s form and tried to escape her.

She heard Ukitake’s voice speaking the same kido and Ichigo looked at her and slumped down in unconsciousness.

She stood up and looked over at them. “What do we do?” she whispered.

“Get them back to Soul Society and see if we can do anything to help them.” Ukitake seemed to have regained his strength.

“I found something,” Urahara said from the other room. Rukia hadn’t noticed when he left.

“What’s that?” Kyōraku said.

“He kept records of everything,” Urahara said softly. “Everything.”

“Gather them, we’ll examine them back in Soul Society,” Kyōraku said. “For now, let’s get them to Unohana.”

Rukia nodded and stood up, watching as Ikkaku picked up Grimmjow with Yumichika’s help and Urahara and Kyōraku picked up Ichigo to take them back. Rukia followed behind them and hoped that they would be able to do something to help them.


	2. A Nightmare

_Subjects have a pre-existing relationship. I intend to capitalize on that and see what happens. There is much to explore between them._

Ichigo wasn’t going to take this easily, and he knew neither was Grimmjow. At first, it seemed Grimmjow didn’t know how to handle what had happened. He himself was suffering similar to Ichigo, as it seemed Granz wanted to see how much flesh he could flay off their bodies before they lost consciousness. It seemed, though, that after a few days, it began to bore him, so he left them alone for several days. During that time, the lights were low, and it was utterly quiet.

“Look, I get that this is awkward, but the silence is killing me,” Ichigo said finally, looking over at Grimmjow where he sat against the wall.

Grimmjow looked up at him and sighed. “Sorry. I just… What do I say after what he did?”

Ichigo shrugged. Since the first day, he hadn’t tried to touch him again in that way, for which he was glad, but it still happened. “There’s nothing to say. He intends to make us suffer in any way he can. I guess that’s one way.”

“But to take it that far…” Grimmjow said.

Ichigo shook his head. “He didn’t kill me.”

“That’s not the point.”

“What is the point? Of any of this? We didn’t create him! We didn’t create his brothers! Why does he have to choose us? Choose me?” Ichigo said, finally getting a bit frustrated with the whole situation.

They were both silent a while. Then Grimmjow looked up at the top of the room where the gas jets came into it. “What if we held our breath?”

Ichigo looked up and caught his train of thought. “Maybe. But there’s no guarantee that we can get past his power.”

“But we could try.”

So, the next time the lights came on, they prepared. The hissing of the gas started, and both of them held their breath so not to breathe in any of it and they dropped to the floor. It took forever, and both of them were starting to get lightheaded and unable to hold it when the gas shut off. Both of them were waiting until they heard the door and they leaped to their feet to rush him.

Things were over in a matter of moments. It was almost like hitting an invisible wall as Granz merely looked at them and they both crumpled to the ground, almost unconscious before they hit the floor.

Ichigo woke up again, feeling sluggish and immediately heard growling. He shook away the fogginess and pushed himself to his feet. He stood there dumbly because it was Grimmjow who was growling. He was staring at Ichigo with a strange, almost feral look on his face. Both hands were clenched at his sides and his whole body was set at alert.

“Grimmjow?” he asked, looking around to realize that they were in the cell again.

“He won’t listen to you now.”

Ichigo turned to the wall where Granz stood. He smiled. “What did you do to him?” Ichigo demanded.

“Activated a few animal instincts in him. He might maul you, or he could fuck you. I’m interested to see whether the pheromones I injected into the room trigger a mating instinct. I was going to wait to do this, but since you insist on being difficult, I’ll accelerate the testing process.”

Grimmjow growled again and Ichigo turned back to him. “Grimmjow! Stop and think about what you’re doing!”

Ichigo could see he was aroused, and he wasn’t sure he could fight him off as weak as he felt. But surely Grimmjow would also be weaker than normal, too. Ichigo stepped back away from him toward the doorway.

“Please, don’t do this Grimmjow. You don’t want to,” he pleaded.

“I told you, he can’t listen to you. Also, I’ve returned his strength to him, so I don’t think you can hold him off. Oh, here he comes,” Granz said. “Let’s see what happens.”

Ichigo didn’t know what to do, but he tried to escape him when he dove for him. He got to the other side of the cell, but there was nowhere to go. Grimmjow came at him again, and Ichigo managed to dodge him again, but tripped over his still broken ankle, falling flat to the floor. He narrowly missed smashing his face into it. Grimmjow didn’t let the chance pass, he was grabbing Ichigo by the ankles painfully and pulling him back. Ichigo yelped and tried to get away but Granz wasn’t lying. Grimmjow was strong enough to do this easily and Ichigo was still weak.

Ichigo kicked hard, snapping Grimmjow in the face hard enough to make him let go briefly. He almost got to his feet, but he felt Grimmjow’s fingers dig into his shoulders and pull him back to the ground. Ichigo had no idea when he’d even stood up. He screamed in frustration and Grimmjow was on top of him now, sliding one knee between his legs as he pinned him to the ground on his stomach.

Ichigo turned and saw that Granz was just standing there, watching as Grimmjow forced himself onto him. Ichigo slammed a fist into the ground because he couldn’t do anything else in the position he was in. Grimmjow rammed into him hard, and Ichigo knew he was bleeding again because he could feel it, smell it even, but then the force was even greater than when Granz had raped him the first time. Grimmjow was completely without sense and pressing him into the floor so hard he could barely get a breath. Finally, he released inside him, but he didn’t move, still pinning him to the ground. Ichigo was panting for breath and then suddenly, Grimmjow was off of him.

“Ichigo?” he said. “What… what did I do?”

Ichigo pushed himself up on hands and knees and was violently sick, gagging on spit and bile as he tried to control himself.

“Granz!” Grimmjow growled. “What did you do to me?”

“Just a little experiment. And it was a success, it seems. Your biology is very easy to manipulate, Grimmjow. But then, you’re the monster in the room, aren’t you?” Granz said.

Ichigo finally got himself under control and sat painfully against the wall, looking up at Grimmjow, who wore a horrified expression on his face. Grimmjow growled and ran at the wall, slamming up against it and beating on it with both fists.

“You are the fucking monster! You come in here with me! You give me five minutes and you’ll be dead!” Grimmjow yelled.

“Yes, I know, but now, I think I’ll leave you to contemplate who is the real monster here. You, who just were so easily turned into a beast that violently raped someone you considered a friend?”

He turned around and the wall turned opaque again. Grimmjow punched it repeatedly until his hands bled, then he turned to Ichigo, but it was obvious he didn’t know what to say. Ichigo, meanwhile, had curled in on himself, not looking at anywhere in particular. He couldn’t look at Grimmjow right then.

-oooooo-OOOOOO-oooooo-

Rukia refused to leave the area as they got both Ichigo and Grimmjow into the fourth division. Unohana was summoned immediately, and they were put into rooms next to each other. Unohana came and spent time with both of them doing diagnostics while they were unconscious. She eventually came out where Rukia and the others were waiting.

“How are they?” Rukia asked, coming up to her directly.

Unohana put a hand on her shoulder and walked into the room. Ukitake, Kyōraku, and Renji were still there, Kurotsuchi and Urahara had gone to go over the records they’d found.

“They’re both still asleep. I’ve kept them that way because no doubt they are going to be unpredictable when they wake up. The healers are working on cleaning and binding the wounds on their bodies. This kind of torture is unprecedented here in Soul Society, so I’m unsure what the best course of action is going to be.” She looked around at the others with a wan smile.

“Kurotsuchi seemed to think there was little hope,” Ukitake said. “I’m inclined to agree with him just from what we saw when we entered the place.”

“Their bodies can be repaired once we get Orihime here,” Rukia said staunchly.

“It is not their bodies that I am concerned with,” Ukitake told her, looking over to Unohana.

“Orihime can repair the damage to their bodies, but until then, we have to make them as comfortable as we can. The sleeping kido will wear off soon, and—”

“Taichou!” came a voice. “They’ve woken up and Grimmjow attacked one of the healers. She’s okay, but he won’t let anyone near him!”

“And Ichigo?” she asked.

“He’s also withdrawn from the bed and huddled into the corner of the room and won’t interact with anyone anymore,” the healer said.

“Let’s see what we can do,” Unohana said and headed toward the rooms where Grimmjow and Ichigo were.

“I talked to Grimmjow before,” Rukia said. “He didn’t speak much, but he asked me where we had been,” Rukia said as they neared the room.

“Try again,” Unohana said, nodding at her.

Rukia came to the door of the room and saw Grimmjow was staring at it as she entered. They’d dressed him in a yukata and it was hanging open in the front. His upper body was covered with bandages and some were bleeding through already. He growled immediately upon seeing her, so she stopped and held up both hands.

“Grimmjow, it’s Rukia. Remember me?” she asked as she stepped nearer. Unohana stood in the doorway and watched carefully.

Grimmjow stared for a few moments then croaked, “Where is he?”

“Ichigo?” Rukia asked. She was beginning to piece together what was happening, and guessed when he woke up, he was looking for Ichigo. “He’s in the next room. He’s fine. You’re fine now.”

Grimmjow stared again, as though trying to put together what to say next. “Take me.”

“You both need your rest,” Rukia tried, but she was quickly coming to the conclusion that separating them might have been a bad idea. “You need to let the healers bind your wounds and clean you up, and then they can let you see him.”

“No,” he said, shaking his head. “Now.”

Rukia looked over at Unohana. “Can we let them be together?”

“It may be for the best. They’ve spent three years with each other, it is only natural for them to want to be near each other. It may help.” She stepped out of the way. “Lead him to the next room,” she told her.

Rukia stepped over and reached a hand out toward Grimmjow. “Here, I’ll take you to him,” she said.

For a second, Grimmjow stared with his one eye at her hand, then he reached slowly out with his whole arm and took her hand in a tight grip. She led him out and past the others who were standing in the hall and into the room where Ichigo was huddled in the corner, head down, and curled in on himself.

“Berry?” Grimmjow said in a cracking voice.

Ichigo’s head snapped up and he looked at Grimmjow. He held both arms up and Grimmjow went to him, dropping down beside him and embracing him. Rukia stood back and felt a wave of sadness because there was nothing she could do to make this better. She looked over to see Unohana standing nearby.

“What do we do now?” she asked.

Unohana sighed. “They need each other, but it’s hard to measure how much psychological damage has been done. It seems Grimmjow knows a bit of himself, but Ichigo has given no indication that he has any of his faculties intact.”

“Healing them is the priority, though, so should someone go get Orihime, then?” Rukia asked.

“It likely will help if they aren’t in pain any longer. Some of those wounds were severe and long open. It seems that one of this Arrancar’s torture methods was to insert pieces of metal and glass under the skin and then allow it to heal over it, causing incredible pain over time. We removed all that we found, but some of the wounds were deeply infected and kept that way. There were sections of skin removed, so it seems skin flaying was one of his methods as well.” Unohana looked over at them where Grimmjow had sat down on the floor and was still embracing Ichigo. “Ichigo’s legs are damaged a great deal. He cannot really stand without incredible pain I would imagine.”

“Why would anyone want to do this?” Rukia asked, staring at where Ichigo and Grimmjow were huddled together.

“I’m sure the records will reveal his reasons,” Renji pointed out. Rukia had forgotten he was even there, but she looked over at him now.

“I’m afraid of what is in those records,” she said.

“Go get Orihime,” Unohana told them. “Please bring her as soon as possible. She knows that Ichigo has been missing, correct?”

“Yes, her and her girlfriend Tatsuki know that Kon has been using Ichigo’s human body since he left. His father, of course, is apprised of the situation. So, he should know he’s been brought back as well.” Rukia looked at Renji. “Let’s get going.”

They left and Unohana stayed with Ichigo and Grimmjow. She watched carefully, and heard Grimmjow murmuring to Ichigo now and then, running his hands over his head and basically comforting him. She reconsidered the initial thought that there would be animosity between the two of them. It would appear that instead, they had bonded to each other. She sighed, thinking perhaps a specialist would be in order.

-oooooo-OOOOOO-oooooo-

Rukia and Renji stepped into the World of the Living and separated, Renji going to inform Ichigo’s father of his situation, and Rukia to find Orihime. She quickly located them at their apartment. She knocked lightly on the window and waited until Orihime opened it.

“Rukia-chan!” she said. “What are you doing here?”

Rukia stepped into the room and looked over as Tatsuki came toward them.

“We need you in Soul Society. We found Ichigo.”

Orihime gasped, dropping the cup she was holding. Tatsuki put an arm around her and looked at her. “You need her, so he’s been hurt.”

“Was it the building in Las Noches that you were trying to get into?” Orihime asked.

“It was. And yes, he’s…damaged. We don’t know the details but he and Grimmjow had both been captured and kept by this Arrancar. He kept records of what he did, but it appears they’ve both been tortured and harmed greatly.” Rukia looked between them. “I sent Renji to talk to his father, but I came to get you. We think if we can heal some of the damage he’s undergone, he might be able to heal easier.”

Orihime nodded. “Can Tatsuki come?”

“Of course, you can come now?” she asked.

“I can, we can.”

A few minutes later, Rukia had received permission to bring them both to Soul Society and made their way to the fourth division where Unohana was waiting for them.

“Unohana-taichou,” Orihime said as she came up. “What can I do?”

“Come, both of you. Maybe someone they know as well as you will be able to make an impression.” Unohana led them to Ichigo and Grimmjow.

Grimmjow was sitting on the floor with Ichigo curled into his lap, clinging to him desperately. His eyes were on them as soon as they entered the room, and a growl started in his throat immediately.

Rukia stepped forward again, dropping to the floor and crawling toward them. “Grimmjow, Orihime is going to heal you, please let her,” she told him and gestured to Orihime to come forward.

Orihime got down on the floor and came forward. Rukia looked at her. “Grimmjow first,” she said. “He’ll see you mean Ichigo no harm and let you heal him.”

Orihime summoned her power and Grimmjow watched, wide-eyed, and only tightened his grip on Ichigo where he held him against his chest. After a while, his arm and eye regenerated and the bandages were still stained with blood, but it was clear some of the other wounds had been repaired. Orihime called back her power and then used it on Ichigo. She winced, her ability telling her what was wrong with him. Grimmjow held him, and slowly, his legs began to mend, and he gasped, turning around and staring at Orihime, eyes wide and surprised.

“Ichigo?” Orihime said, tears in her eyes.

He didn’t acknowledge his name, but instead buried his face in Grimmjow’s shoulder again. Orihime sat there and looked up at Tatsuki, who stood nearby.

Rukia leaned forward and touched Grimmjow’s leg. He jerked and looked at her sharply. “Grimmjow, can you talk to us?”

Grimmjow looked for a second then nodded slowly. Rukia smiled and nodded. “Please, you’re safe now, okay, you know that right?”

Grimmjow didn’t say anything for a moment then coughed lightly and nodded. “I think I do.”

“Can you tell us what happened? Who that Arrancar was?” Rukia said softly.

He was silent for a while. “Granz,” he said finally. “He was Granz.”

Rukia frowned. “Granz? That sounds familiar.”

“The eighth Espada, Szayelaporro and Illfordt’s brother. He was… a Privaron Espada, one that evolved before Aizen created the rest. He wanted revenge on us for the loss of his brothers,” Grimmjow spoke slowly, obviously not used to speaking much.

“What happened?” Tatsuki asked, coming closer. “Why is Ichigo so damaged?”

“He especially blamed him,” Grimmjow said, threading his fingers through the longish hair that Ichigo had now. His own hair had grown down into his face. “He took pleasure in his pain more than my own. All I could do was watch.”

“What should we do for him?” Rukia asked, not knowing if Grimmjow would know.

“Time. That’s all,” Grimmjow said, laying his head against Ichigo. “And leave us alone.”

Rukia nodded. “I’m sure there’s been enough for today,” she stood up and looked over at Orihime. “Here, let’s leave them be for tonight.”

Orihime looked like she wanted to argue it, but she didn’t, instead getting up and taking Tatsuki’s hand and walking out with Rukia. Unohana waited a moment then nodded at them and followed them out, closing the door gently behind her.

They sat still for a few minutes, and then Ichigo slowly raised his eyes and stared at Grimmjow’s face. He reached out and ran his fingers over the restored eye and Grimmjow nodded.

“It’s okay, Berry boy. It’s okay. We’re safe now. Granz can’t hurt you anymore.”

Ichigo slowly let go of Grimmjow and turned around, still sitting in his lap, though. He looked around the room and then turned back to Grimmjow again.

“Safe?” he whispered hoarsely.

“Safe,” Grimmjow confirmed.

Immediately, Ichigo grabbed his face and began kissing it. Grimmjow smiled and held onto him as he kissed his eyes and nose. He slipped down to his lips and then slid his tongue into Grimmjow’s mouth, waiting for him to respond. Grimmjow did, twisting his tongue against Ichigo’s for the first time without fear of being caught.

Grimmjow used both hands to grab Ichigo’s ass as he straddled him and rubbed against him, already aroused and wetting the yukata he was wearing in the front. Grimmjow was surprised because Ichigo hadn’t been able to achieve such a quick reaction since they’d been caught, and Granz had punished them by castrating Ichigo. Even that, though, hadn’t stopped them from comforting each other when Granz was gone for days at a time. But then, Orihime had restored his body to him, so that was different now.

Grimmjow groaned as he writhed on his lap, his own cock starting to come to life just from that alone. Perhaps the fact they were actually safe made it so natural that this would happen, he didn’t know, he just knew that when Ichigo was ready to go like this, he couldn’t stop himself. He reached down, untying the obi and opening his yukata, giving Ichigo access to him. Ichigo’s hands were on him in a second, stroking him and then he slid down and took him in his mouth, swallowing down on him in one motion.

The sensation was nearly too much, but Grimmjow held on, determined not to come in Ichigo’s mouth. He much preferred to come inside him, buried balls deep. After a few deft swallows, Ichigo came up and smiled at him, proud of himself, it seemed. He then crawled back into his lap, using his hand to guide Grimmjow to his entrance. He adjusted a little then slipped down on him, the pre come enough lubrication to ease the passage.

Grimmjow groaned, holding tight to him as he bounced on his lap, angling to strike his own prostate, and for the first time, not in pain while he did this. His legs were healed, and he could move as he wished, not having to compensate for pain and inability to move. He instead was happily riding Grimmjow, grunting and groaning softly, still not being too loud.

“Oh, Berry boy…” Grimmjow said softly, thrusting up into him in time with his motions. “That’s it, fuck. That’s good.”

Ichigo continued to moan softly, barely audible in the quiet room. He was just wanting to feel something, anything, and this made it real. This proved they were safe. This proved they were away from Granz and could do as they liked, and for him, this meant so much more than anyone else could ever understand. The last three years had been a living nightmare nearly every moment, and now that it was over, Ichigo had to make sure of Grimmjow’s presence in his life still. He wanted him still, and he wanted to know that hadn’t changed.

For Grimmjow, it was something similar. Their comfort had come from each other for a long time now, and nothing Granz did could stop that. Even when he separated them for periods of time, it didn’t matter, they would comfort each other in the only way they could. Granz could torment Ichigo, raping him repeatedly, but he never found pleasure anywhere but with Grimmjow. No matter what Granz tried, he couldn’t coax an orgasm out of Ichigo, and that was something that Ichigo had been adamant about with him. Only Grimmjow could cause that sort of pleasure in him, and it was no end of torment for both of them at Granz’s hands.

Ichigo was coming close, Grimmjow could feel the tightening and knew he wouldn’t last much longer, so he slipped a hand between them and began stroking him firmly. Ichigo threw his head back in a silent scream as he came, clamping down on Grimmjow hard enough to send him over the edge himself. Ichigo collapsed forward, embracing Grimmjow and panting with exertion.

“It’s okay, Berry. We’re safe now,” Grimmjow whispered, rubbing his back with both hands now that his one had been restored.

“Love you,” Ichigo managed with a little effort.

“I love you, too, Berry boy,” Grimmjow said. “Let’s sleep.”

Grimmjow got up and grabbed the blankets off the bed along with the pillow that was laying on it and brought them over to the floor and covered them both up with it as they snuggled as close as they could to each other there.

Unohana turned off the monitor and sighed. She looked over to Urahara who was sitting beside her. “Thoughts?”

“We can’t separate them. To do so will traumatize them both,” Urahara said softly.

“Do we let them continue in a sexual relationship like this?” she mused, more to herself.

“I don’t see the harm,” Urahara said.

Behind them, Isshin cleared his throat. “Harm? After what Granz put my son through? There isn’t any harm in that?”

“They’ve been each other’s sole source of comfort. For them, sex was a release of everything they felt and couldn’t do anything about,” Unohana explained. “That’s why they engaged as soon as they both felt safe enough to do so. It was a way to prove they were indeed not going to be punished for it.”

“The records are detailed, Isshin,” Urahara said. “What he did…” he trailed off, not even wanting to really think of what all was in those records.

“So, we just leave them like this?” Isshin asked.

“We help them recover. It may take a specialist in recovery from this kind of abuse,” Unohana said. “I’ve already sent for her from the Rukongai. She deals with victims of rape and sexual abuse.”

Isshin sighed. “I won’t disturb them tonight. They’ve been through enough today. I can see that clearly. But they are physically healed, now we just have the long road of the emotional and psychological damage that Granz inflicted on them.”


End file.
